How Can I Make my Nose Look Taller? (photo)

   The apparent nasal width can be reduced as well as the width of the tip, and the dorsum can be augmented with a multitude of techniques and materials.  Find the plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who performs hundreds of rhinoplasties each year.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Nasal length is from the top (radix) to the bottom (columella). A short nose that has too low a bridge, as is common in Asian rhinoplasty, can be made longer by adding a graft to raise the bridge. That will lengthen the nose by making it start higher.

A short nose due to a high nasal tip or columella requires bringing down the tip of the nose, which requires grafts to the nasal tripod or two nasal tip walls and the portion between them (columella).

I suggest you seek out a rhinoplasty specialist and discuss your desires. Computer imaging helps a lot to visualize potential changes together.

First and foremost, cosmetic appearance of the nose has to be evaluated in context of proportion to other facial structures such as the distance between the corners of the eyes and relative chin projection.

A safe and simple option to augment the bridge of the nose for a taller and narrower appearance is a dorsal implant.  This can be combined with an adjunctive procedure to narrow the base of the nose to bring in the flaring nostrils.  If tip improvement is desired, this can be accomplisted with some minor cartilage grafts. A major donor graft such as a rib graft is unnecessary and should be avoided for non-revision cases.  This is a commonly requested procedure among Asian and African American patients.

There are many options, including cartilage grafts, fascia-cartilage grafts, implants and injections.  In general injections can be used to make the nose taller, but they are limited in their effect and the safest ones dissolve after 6 yo 9 months (Juvederm, Restylane.)   Surgery works well and usually I prefer to build up the nose with natural tissue, usualy a cartilage-fascia graft.

 

Best regards,

 

Dr. Lane Smith

Based on your photos it appears that you have an underprojected (flat) bridge and will benefit from augmentation rhinoplasty - ideally with rib cartilage graft